Dillon Palison plays on a swing Tuesday at Cardinal Autism Resource and Education School in Mentor.

The hallway at Cardinal Autism Resource and Education School is silent thanks to special soundproofing around classroom doors, which helps students concentrate on classroom work.

"I think the main reason for opening CARES was that our administration looked at all of the students that were being serviced outside of the Mentor school system," said CARES Director Christy LaPaglia. "We were sending a lot of our kids with autism spectrum disorder out to schools that were pretty far away and not in our community and we were spending a lot of money to do that."

Classes began at the school on Oct. 3, 2011, exactly one year ago today. Children with autism, like the students at CARES, need a calmer and more soothing environment, and administrators decided it was in the Mentor district's best interest and the students' best interests to have them serviced in their home community, LaPaglia said.

April D'Arcangelo said her daughter April Lyn, who is in fifth grade, has thrived since coming to CARES.

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"They treat each kid with respect. They treat each child on their own level and give them exactly what they need," she said. "They have compassion and love, and they let the kids flourish on their own."

Although based in the Mentor School District, CARES draws students from surrounding districts as well, including Euclid, Kirtland and Mayfield Village.

The National Institute of Health defines autism as being a complex developmental disability that makes social interaction and communication difficult. There is no single form of autism, which is described as a spectrum disorder and includes a range of symptoms from mild to severe.

CARES took over Headlands Elementary, 5028 Forest Road in Mentor, which had closed because of declining enrollment, and renovated a single wing of the building. Construction included special environmental components to help children with autism succeed in the classroom, including soundproofing, up lighting, acoustic panels and separate observation rooms for parents.

CARES helps students from kindergarten to age 22.

"We take a look at the sensory needs for the kids with autism spectrum disorder. A lot of them are either hyper- or hypo-sensitive to their environment, so we try to provide a calm, quiet, soothing environment," LaPaglia said. "A lot of schools, just because of how they are, are loud. They've got a lot going on."

Traditional public schools sometimes can't accommodate every need for children with autism, D'Arcangelo said. The transitional program offered by CARES allows for April Lyn to receive the one-on-one care she needs.

"At CARES they allow her to be who she is. Her brain is injured, and it takes a little longer for her to do stuff, like answer questions," she said. "They are so patient. They have to love what they do because all the kids are so different. My daughter loves going to school. She feels like a real person there."

Brian Palisin said he is thrilled to have the option to send his son Dillon, a fifth-grader, to a school like CARES that offers an individualized program with a stable educational structure for children with autism.

"Since Dillon has been there he's been a happier kid. Dillon is excited to go to school everyday," Palisin said. "Any time your child is engaged it is so much easier. It's a small school with a very personal experience.

"Everyone is great on communication."

Because it is run like a regular public school, Palisin said CARES gives his son and the other students a normal school routine.

"With kids with autism, consistency is huge. You try to keep a schedule so you have the opportunity to make some headway," he said. "During the summertime I sat with Dillon and watched him do multiplication tables. I was floored. I had never seen my son do that before."

A special feature at CARES is the observation rooms that allow parents to watch their children in a school setting. Each observation room has a large one-way glass window and a television set and headphones to pick up sound and activity in each part of the classroom.

All classrooms are equipped with microphones and moveable cameras. Each classroom has a teacher and two teaching assistants. CARES has 18 staff members.

LaPaglia said adding another person to the classroom, even a parent, can be disruptive to the education process especially for children with autism. The observation policy allows parents to have two observation visits per month.

After the visits, the parents can schedule a meeting with their child's education team and discuss their student's individual education plan.

All students identified as having a disability have an IEP, LaPaglia said. It drives their education, and the IEP team decides what the best course of action is for the student to be able to have their needs met.

At the end of last school year, CARES did transition one student back to his home school, LaPaglia said. A transitional plan was implemented that included weeks of preparation, visits to the student's school and with the new teacher.

"Our goal is to get kids back to their home schools as quickly as possible. With that being said, we do service those kids who aren't finding success in their home school districts," LaPaglia said.

CARES staff originally thought that children on the lower functioning part of the spectrum would be a bigger part of their program, but LaPaglia said they've had more kids who are higher functioning but just haven't been able to find a place in their home district.

"Our middle school and high school programs are actually growing much faster than our elementary program because of the community and job exploration components to our program," she said. "We provide our high-schoolers with the academic program along with vocational, community and social components and that seems to be where we're finding our niche here."

By the end of the first school year, CARES had a goal of having 12 students in two classes of six. They ended up with 18 students in three classes. At the end of the current school year LaPaglia said the goal was to have 24 students in four classes. As of Tuesday CARES had already met that goal.